1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a wash basket for a washing machine and more particularly to a combination tub-wash basket having imperforate outer walls and a central coaxial drain in the base thereof for use in a clothers washing machine of the vertical axis type.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Conventional clothes washing machines of the vertical axis, agitator type are traditionally rather large and complex. Generally there is provided a cabinet enclosing an outer, water-retaining tub within which is situated a clothes retaining basket, usually having perforate walls. An agitator is mounted within this inner basket and the basket-agitator assembly is coupled through a suitable power transmission with an electric motor for rotational and oscillatory motion. Such machines are as a result, inherently rather expensive and consume large amounts of water.
It is desirable to provide a wash basket for a washing maching which can handle a typical washing load but which combines the functions of retaining the clothes being washed and the washing medium, usually water and some sort of a detergent. It is further desirable to provide such a combination tub-wash basket which is capable of being rotated about its concentric vertical axis for the removal of water from clothes during a centrifugal extraction process and which is further lightweight in construction but durable and which is provided with means for automatically balancing out any unbalance resulting from oscillatory or rotational movement of the basket. It is further desirable to provide such a combination tub-wash basket having a drain situated about the concentric vertical axis on the base portion of the wash basket.
By the present invention, there is provided such a combination tub-wash basket having outer, imperforate walls and a drain situated on the base about the concentric vertical axis and which is provided with means for balancing out any unbalance resulting during the centrifugal water extraction process. Such a wash basket as provided by the present invention is rather simple of construction, reliable and of fairly low cost and as a result of its design aids in reducing the water consumption for a typical washing and rinsing operation.